Ignition system for internal-combustion engines.



w. c BRINTON, JR. IGNITION SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL'COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV, 10 I9I5.

Patented May 22, 1917.

AI'TORIYEK UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. BRINTON, JR., OF KENNET'I SQUARE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO PHILIPS-BBINTON COMPANY, OF KENNETT SQUARE, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR- PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

IGNITION SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1917.

Application filed November 10, 1915. Serial No. 60,646.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM G. BRINTON, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Kennett Square, countyof Chester, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ignition Systems for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification. I The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved means for controlling the secondary circuit in an ignition system for internal combustion engines.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a vibrator and a contact maker and interrupter, included within the primary circuit, by the operation of either of which a current 'may be induced'in the secondary circuit, there being included the latter the usual distributer, whereby the' circuit is closed successively through the several binding posts connected with the spark plugs of the several engine cylinders. More specifically my object is to so construct and arrange the parts that'the vibrator may be used to produce a continuous shower of sparks in starting, while thereafter the contact maker and interrupter may be used to produce a succession of single sparks. Another object of the invention is to. so construct and arrange the vibrator and its connections that the same may be used, if desired, not only to start but continuously thereafter during the normal running of the machine. Another object of the invention is to so simplify the construction of the vibrator that the'usual commutator may be altogether dispensed with. 'Another object of the invention is to so construct the distributor that it may cooperate with the vibrator proper to insure the production of hot sparks instead of the cold sparks that would result from the combination of a commutator of ordinary construction with the vibrator proper.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure lis a view of my improved system, mainly diagrammatic, but with the distributer shown in detail in vertical section.

Fig. 2 is a section through the distributer on the line 22 of Fig. l.

The primary circuit a extends from the battery 5 through the coil 0 (which energizes the coil 3/ of the secondary circuit a), thence to the switch 0!, binding post e, armature 7, spring 9', core h, magnet 91, and thence to ground. The last five elements form the vibrator proper. The core h is U-shaped, one arm extending within the magnet 2' while the other arm extends outside the magnet and carries the spring 9 supporting the armature f. It is obvious that when the primary circuit is closed through the manually operated switch d, the current flowing through the magnet i will energize it and cause it to attract the armature 7, thus opening the circuit, which, however, is immediately closed again by the return of the armature against the binding post 6. Thus the current is interrupted with extreme frequency, producing a like interruption in the induced or secondary circuit, and a constant shower of sparks at the distributer, as hereinafter described.

The arrangement of the the condenser circuit j is as usual not be particularly described.

On the cam shaft Z is a cam m, which inand need termittently actuates a contact maker and interrupter n, causing it to intermittently contact with a binding post 0, thereby intermittently closing the primary circuit from binding post e, through binding post 0 and interrupter n to ground. 1) is a condenser in a condenser circuit q. The interrupter n may be of any approved construction, examples of which may be found in the patents issued to me February 23, 1915, No. 1,129,445 and No. 1,129,446, in an application filed by me July 24, 1915, Serial No. 41,665, and in an application filed by William H. Brown and myself jointly July 6, 1915, No. 38,225.

Ordinarily, in the operation of the device, after starting the engines with the vibrator, the circuit through the vibrator is opened, allowing the interrupter alone to regulate the make and break of the circuit. This can be readily done by turning the cam switch 1' to force and hold armature f out of contact with binding post e.

It will be observed that the vibrator new and improved distributor, which has no i advantage over the ordinary distributer when used in connection with an ordinary vibrator or interrupter but which is of very great advantage when combined with my simplified vibrator, in that it renders the employment of the latter feasible.

Except for one feature, the distributer is preferably constructed in accordance with an application filed by me September 10, 1915, Serial No. 49,994. That is, it comprises a holder or cap 8, a. head If within the cap and rotatable with the cam shaft Z, a central common-terminal binding post it contacting with a spring 10 carried by the head If, binding posts 12 carried by the cap and electrically connected respectively with the several spark plugs, and a distributer plate :0 (through which binding post u extends) carried by the rotatable head t. The circuit 2 is connected directly to the common terminal post u, and in the rotation of the head If the distribute-r plate 00 closes the circuit successi-vely through the several binding posts a o, no actual contact, however, being made,

in the preferred construction, between the plate 25 and the posts '11. I

The essential feature of the distributer plate 00 is that the length of the contact edge thereof (which is curved concentrically with the axis'of rotation of the plate) is but very slightly less than the distance, measured along the same curve, between the two adjacent binding posts '0. I prefer to so construct the distributer that whenthe rear end of the edge of the plate is just about to leave one post 1) the front edge thereof will be about of an inch behind the next post o. These exact measurements need not be adhered to and it will sufiiciently define the essential characteristics of this part of my invention to state that the length of the edge of the distributer plate approximates the distance between any two adjacent contacts.

The reason for this arrangement is that thereby no spark will be carried from the distributer plate to the forward contact until after the plate has actually passed beyond the rear contact, thus insuring that the first spark (which is the efi'ective one) shall jump a very short distance and pro duce a hot spark in the engine cylinder; If

the edge of the plate were made substantially shorter, the spark would jump from the plate to the forward contact through an air space of substantial length, resulting in a cold spark and consequent imperfect, uncertain or delayed firing of the compressed explosive gas mixture in the engine cylinder.

On the other hand, when the circuit through. the distributer is being controlled from the contact maker and interrupter, it will operate just as if the distributor plate were of ordinary construction.

It will therefore be understood that the distributer herein set forth in connection with a continuously operating vibrator constitutes a true combination in that the mode of operation and special function of the distributer are different from what they would be if the distributer were used in conjunction with the ordinary intermittently operated vibrator, or solely with a contact maker and interrupter.

A great advantage of my invention is that if the contact maker and interrupter is out of service, the operation of the engine may be controlled continuously from the vibrator alone, whereas it is practicable to use the ordinary vibrator for starting only.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In an ignition system for internal coinbustion engines, in combination, a primary circuit, a vibrator in said circuit, said vibrator including a vibratory member and an electro-magnet separate from the primary coil hereinafter specified, a contact maker and interrupter in said circuit, a switch controlling the passage of current through said circuit, a device adapted to be moved into position to hold open the circuit through the vibrator, a secondary circuit, a primary coil and a secondary coil in the respective circuits and in operative relation with each other, a contact in the secondary circuit, a plurality of contacts adapted for connection with the spark plugs of the .several engine cylinders, a shaft, means operated thereby to control the' operation of the contact maker and interrupter, and a distributor operated by said shaft and adapted to close the circuit through the first contact andthe other contacts succesively.

2. In an ignition system for internal combustion engines, in combination, a primary circuit, a vibrator in said circuit, said vibrator including a vibratory member and an electro-magne't separate from the primary coil hereinafter specified, a switch adapted to close the circuit through the vibrator and thereby cause the electro-magnet to efiect the continuous 'operation of the vibratory member, a secondary circuit, a primary coil and a secondary coil in the respective circuits and in operative relation with each other, and a distributer in the secondary circuit.

*3. In an ignition system for internal combustion engines, in combination, a primary circuit, a vibrator in said circuit, .a contact maker and interrupter in said circuit, a switch controlling the passage of current through said circuit, a device adapted to be moved either into position to hold open the circuit through the vibrator or into position to allow the continuous operat10n thereof, a secondary circuit, a shaft, means operated thereby to control the operation of the contact maker and interrupter, and a distributer in the secondary circuit operated by said shaft.

4. In an ignition system for internal combustion engines, in combination, a primary circuit, a vibrator in said circuit, a switch adapted to close the circuit through the vi- 'brator and effect the continuous operation thereof, a secondary circuit, a series of contacts arranged at equal distances apart along a circle and adapted for connection with the spark plugs of the several engine cylinders, and a distributer plate electrically continuous operation thereof, a secondary circuit, a rotatable distributer plate electrically connected with the secondary circuit, a shaft adapted to effect the operation of the contact maker and interrupter. and

.the rotationof the distributer plate,'and a series of contacts at equal distances apart and at equal distances radially from the axis of rotation of the distributer plate, the length of the outer edge of the distributer plate approximating the distance between adjacent contacts.

6. In an ignition system for internal combustion englnes, 1n combination, a magnet independent of the primary coil hereinafter specified, a contact pin, anarmature vibratable between said magnet and contact pin and normally contacting with the latter, a primary circuit including said contact pin,

armature and magnet, a manually operated switch adapted to close said circuit, thereby causing said armature to continuously alternately open and'close the circuit, a shunt circuit and a contact maker and interrupter therein, a secondary circuit, a primary coil in the prlmary c1rcu1t and a secondary coil in the secondary circuit, a distributer in the secondary circuit, and a device adapted to hold said armatureout of contactw1th said contact pin.v

7. In an ignition system for internal combustion engines, in combination, a primary circuit having two branches, a vibrator in one branch of the circuit, said vibrator including a vibrating member and an electromagnet separate from the prlmary coil hereinafter specified, a contact maker and interrupter in another branch of the circuit,

a primary coil common to both branches, a

secondary coil, a secondary circuit including the last namedcoil, a distributer in the secondary circuit, a circuit-closing switch common 'to both branches of. the primary circuit, and means to render the vibrator operative, whereby. the same will operate continuously independently of the contact maker and interrupter.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Philadelphia, on this 8th day of November, 1915. I

WILLIAM C. .BRINTON, JR. 

